Page 82 of Wicked Dares
Like last week, Levi’s driver picked me up and escorted me inside. I’m wearing another beautiful dress, standing beneath another glittering chandelier, but my heart isn’t in any of it.
It’s been nearly a week since I saw Levi, and I already know something between us has changed.
I’m led into the grand hall and immediately spot him talking to a group of people I don’t recognize.
He’s in a charcoal suit tonight, white shirt open at the throat. He looks up almost the second my eyes land on him, like he was already waiting for me to arrive.
He smiles, and hope flickers inside me for one stupid second.
But even from here I can tell the smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
When I get closer, the difference becomes impossible to ignore. The spark from last week is gone. Whatever burned between us at the club has cooled into something controlled.
And I can’t blame him.
“Hi,” I say first, almost testing the waters.
“Butterfly.”
He leans in, kisses my cheek, and slides an arm around my waist.
It’s the same arm, but it sits on me differently tonight. Lighter somehow.
I keep my smile glued in place and breathe him in anyway—sandalwood and something unique to him.
Levi turns me toward the people he’s been speaking to and introduces me. They’re a couple in their late sixties. The husband owns an oil company, while his wife runs several charities.
As they talk, I smile in the right places and answer when spoken to, but I feel oddly disconnected from myself. Like I’m performing instead of actually being here.
Levi fills every silence with effortless charm, dropping in small details that make us sound like a real couple instead of two people pretending to be one.
I play along and let him lead the conversation, but the difference between last week and tonight sits heavily between us.
We sound rehearsed.
Last week, none of this felt fake.
But tonight feels less like chemistry and more like performance. As though we’re both reading from the same script. I can hear it, and I worry that others can, too.
Soon, we join Arthur and Ellie Mae, and the night officially begins.
The event is another success, and though we feel different, so are we. There are more pictures, more staged kisses for the cameras, more reporters trying to pry into our relationship.
Thankfully, the hours pass and eventually, the night comes to an end.
Levi and I ride back to the apartment in silence.
Several times, I almost say something, but the words never come.
What scares me most is the thought that this is what we’ll be like for the rest of the arrangement. Worse, I can’t stop thinking this is my fault. Like I ruined something good before it even had the chance.
When we reach my apartment, I get out of the car before anyone can open the door for me.
I just want to get inside and forget tonight, but Levi is at my side before I can say good night and make my escape.
He cuts me a look. “Hey, you know the drill. I’m not letting you walk in that apartment by yourself at this hour.”
“I keep telling you, it’s okay.”
